Programs of Religious Activities with Youth

Boy Scout News Bulletin

Second Quarter 2005

Welcome to P.R.A.Y.’s Boy Scout News Bulletin. This Bulletin is how we share information about the religious emblems programs and ways to strengthen relationships with the religious community.

Where is Your Membership Growth Going to Come From?

The Philmont course “Religious Emblems for Adults and Youth” Aug 7-13 2005 is designed to help you develop a plan to grow your membership using the Religious Emblems. 54% of units nationally are in Religious Organizations. 70% of chartered partners only have 1 unit, and 90% of clergy have no or bad information on emblems. What fertile field to work. When you leave Philmont you will have a plan to immediately start working to grow your membership as well a 2-5 year plan to follow up on. Need more under-served populations? Religious Emblems is a key. Need to reach immigrant populations? Religious Emblems is a key. Need to reach more boys period? Religious Emblems is a key. The Course Directors are: Mark Hazlewood, CEO of P.R.A.Y., who for the last 22 years has worked with religious emblems and collaborations between Boy Scouts of America and Religious Organizations; Steve Taylor, Scout Executive of Northwest Suburban Council, who has been with Boy Scouts 29 years and a Scout Executive for the past 11; and Daryl Ingram, Director of the Christian Education Department of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; plus representatives from many other faith groups including Roman Catholic, Jewish, United Methodist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and others.

Need a plan for membership growth? Register now!!! It’s not too late to sign up. For more information on Philmont, click here http://www.scouting.org/philmont/ptc/. To see the proposed syllabus, click here http://www.praypub.org/ptc_syllabus.htm.

New Patch is part of R.E.A.P. Project

A new “Duty to God Promotion” patch has been designed to recognize youth and adults who participate in a presentation or information seminar for religious emblems. The new patch is a four-segment puzzle patch. Click here to see the new design. Only one segment will be offered in any given year. Patches will only be available online at www.praypub.org starting August 2005. Patches may be pre-ordered for distribution at the presentation/information seminar. The new patch will be available August 2005.

In order to earn this Duty to God Promotion patch, youth and adults must:

1. Attend or coordinate a presentation or information seminar on religious emblems (sample resources and suggestions are available at www.praypub.org).

2. Make a commitment to fulfill their “Duty to God”

Adults can commit to having 50% of families participate in the religious emblems programs, commit to nominating a worthy adult to be recognized with an adult religious award, serving as counselor in their local congregation, etc.

Youth can commit to earning the religious emblem of their faith at an appropriate time, making a presentation on religious emblems to another unit, helping younger Scouts earn their religious emblem, helping to establish a religious emblems program in their local congregation, etc.

The goal of R.E.A.P. (Religious Emblems Awareness Project) is to increase the number of religious emblems recipients among BSA youth members. Currently less than 3% of all youth members receive a religious emblem in any given year. It is hoped that the new Duty to God Promotion patch will increase knowledge of and participation in these programs.

Duty to God Brochures

Religious Relationships has revised the Duty to God brochure. Councils will receive an ample supply of these brochures to distribute one per unit plus extra for the resource center. The Duty to God brochure displays the religious emblems in full color and lists the contact information and curriculum titles for all the emblems. This brochure is available in a PDF format on the P.R.A.Y. web site. [click here]

P.R.A.Y. Announces Target Councils

The following Councils have been selected as “Target Councils” by P.R.A.Y. as part of the Religious Emblems Awareness Project (R.E.A.P.). Representatives from these councils will attend the new Religious Emblems Course at Philmont Training Center this summer. These councils will then train their staff and volunteers and implement programs to promote Duty to God through religious emblems.

Blue Mountain – Kennewick, Washington

Cherokee Council – Bartlesville OK

Detroit Area - Detroit, MI

Greater St. Louis Area – St. Louis, MO

Greater Niagara Frontier – Buffalo, NY

Iroquois Trail – Lockport, NY

Miami Valley – Dayton, OH

Middle Tennessee – Nashville TN

Northwest Suburban – Mount Prospect, IL

Otetiana – Rochester, NY

Sioux Council - Sioux Falls, SD

Wanted: 10 Target councils for 2006-2007 who want to grow their membership. Target councils receive 2 scholarships to the July 16-22 2006

Philmont Course Training Course on “Religious Emblems”. In addition your council will receive follow-up onsite training on working with the Religious community for staff, volunteers, etc. from a P.R.A.Y. Staff member at no cost. If interested, contact Mark Hazlewood at markp@praypub.org.

Updates on Religious Emblems

The National Episcopal Scouters Association has a website at http://www.episcopal-scouting.org/

40 assets PowerPoint http://www.scouting.org/relationships/ppt/da.ppt

A New Manual for Chaplains and Chaplain Aides is now available. It is bin # 05-216C. It includes sections on Chaplains, Chaplain Aides, their qualifications, and Worship opportunities

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